Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipes + Chocolate | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/hughfearnleywhittingstallonfood+chocolate
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Choc troops: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's alternative Christmas treatshttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/20/christmas-chocolate-dessert-recipes
It pays to have a few festive tricks up your sleeve – and that means chocolate. Lots of it<p>'Now bring us some figgy pudding!&quot; goes the carol, but not everyone is enamoured of boozy, spicy, fruity Christmas pud; or, indeed, of oozy, super-sweet mince pies. Even those who love them will not want to indulge more than a couple of times over the holiday period, so whether it's to offer as an alternative on the big day, or to cater for a Boxing Day or New Year crowd, you'll need something else by way of a sweet treat. And it had better be&nbsp;good. It is Christmas, after all.</p><p>Well, I can pretty much guarantee that if you bring them a chocolate pudding – especially a rich, dark and sophisticated one – they won't be disappointed. This is not just because chocolate is so widely loved, and a&nbsp;pretty safe bet. It's also a fantastic ingredient to shuffle into the Christmas culinary chaos because it has so much deep, pleasing flavour. Foil-wrapped chocolate coins and melting tree decorations aside, real, cocoa-rich chocolate is complex, deep and slightly bitter: just the kind of thing you need in&nbsp;a punch-packing pudding in the high season of hearty.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/20/christmas-chocolate-dessert-recipes">Continue reading...</a>Food & drinkLife and styleChocolateDessertChristmasFri, 20 Dec 2013 21:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/20/christmas-chocolate-dessert-recipesColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's hot chocolate toffee banana pudding: 'A great crowd-pleaser.' Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's clementines with marrons glacés and chocolate: 'You'll get a round of applause for this.' Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's clementines with marrons glacés and chocolate: 'You'll get a round of applause for this.' Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2013-12-20T21:00:00ZThe proof of the pudding: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's recipes for February survivalhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/15/pudding-recipes-souffle-chocolate-sponge
I have a cunning plan to help me get through the dullest month of the year: puddings. Lots of them<p>February can be a tough month: cold, damp, cloudy, raw, devoid of&nbsp;major celebrations and&nbsp;thereby providing very&nbsp;little excuse for&nbsp;not knuckling down and getting some work done. Every month has&nbsp;its crucial place in&nbsp;the glorious&nbsp;annual round, of course, but sometimes it's hard to remember exactly what the point&nbsp;of&nbsp;month number two actually&nbsp;is. It often seems the least fertile and fecund, the least colourful, the least vibrant month of&nbsp;the lot. In short, it can take a bit of&nbsp;getting through.</p><p>Still, I like to make the best of any situation and I believe in small rewards as a form of motivation. Which is why February, I believe, demands that we treat ourselves. And, naturally, when I think of treats, I think of puds.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/15/pudding-recipes-souffle-chocolate-sponge">Continue reading...</a>DessertFruitWinter food and drinkChocolateFood & drinkLife and styleFri, 15 Feb 2013 20:59:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/feb/15/pudding-recipes-souffle-chocolate-spongeColin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's syrup sponge pudding: Buttery, sweet and lusciously light. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's syrup sponge pudding: Buttery, sweet and lusciously light. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2013-02-15T20:59:01ZChristmas leftovers recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/28/christmas-leftovers-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall
After the festive storm has passed, our kitchen cupboards are often still groaning under the weight of excess nibbles – the crisps, nuts, olives and chocolate. Here are a few clever ways to use them up<p>It's central to the tradition of&nbsp;British Christmas catering to over-provide. The fear of&nbsp;being under-stocked when friends and family arrive is a profound one, and most of us, myself included, would rather need help to&nbsp;get the fridge door shut than have&nbsp;to confess to running out of something. Such largesse is all well&nbsp;and good, of course, provided it&nbsp;doesn't lead to wastage – which is&nbsp;where another of our fine festive&nbsp;customs, the using up of leftovers, comes into play.</p><p>Creating tasty dishes out of a bit of&nbsp;this, a bit of that, yesterday's excess and a tin of something from&nbsp;the cupboard is absolutely my&nbsp;bag. It's one of my favourite ways of cooking, because it's so liberating. The pressure's all off; you're simply working with what you've got, rather than having made&nbsp;an investment (financially) in&nbsp;ingredients or (emotionally) in the ideal of some kind of classic recipe. And the fact that dishes conceived on the hoof in this way can rarely be&nbsp;precisely repeated is somehow all&nbsp;part of their charm.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/28/christmas-leftovers-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>Food & drinkLife and styleChristmasSnacksSaladPastaMain courseChocolateFri, 28 Dec 2012 15:53:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/28/christmas-leftovers-recipes-fearnley-whittingstallColin Campbell/GuardianNigh-on addictive … chocolate, peanut and raisin shards. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell/GuardianThink outside the packet … omlette made with crisps. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell/GuardianThink outside the packet … omlette made with crisps. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2012-12-28T15:53:01ZSummer baking recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jun/22/summer-baking-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall
From sweet treats to super savouries, there's a whole host of baked goodies to whet the summer tastebuds<p>Loosen your belts and break out the cake forks, because this week I am presenting an unabashed bake-fest. I've been hunkering down in the kitchen with my favourite old cookbooks, my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constance_Spry" title="">Constance Spry</a> and&nbsp;my <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_11?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&amp;field-keywords=katie+stewart+cookery+books&amp;x=0&amp;y=0&amp;sprefix=katie+stewa%2Cstripbooks%2C430" title="">Katie Stewart</a>, poring over batter-splattered recipes for much-loved cakes, biscuits, scones and tarts. My&nbsp;fancy is turning to light-as-air Genoese sponges topped with lavish amounts of whipped cream and fresh, sugared raspberries; to sticky-sweet florentines, thick with almonds and fruit, glued with chocolate and caramel; and to sugar-dredged shortbread, which comes out of the oven almost as pale as it went in. There's a whole spread of super savouries begging to be baked, too, from cheesy puff pastry palmiers to good old sausage rolls.</p><p>And while I take pleasure in knocking out such iconic items just as they should be, there is also great satisfaction to be had in tweaking a&nbsp;tried-and-tested favourite. I love a&nbsp;Victoria sponge with the de rigueur raspberry jam filling, but while I'm waiting for those raspberries to ripen into jammable fruit, I sandwich the cake with whipped cream and serve&nbsp;it with a tartly aromatic gooseberry and elderflower compote. Meringues do not have to be pure and snowy white; they can be marbled with coffee, chocolate, even&nbsp;a tangy fruit puree. And a simple butter biscuit recipe is ripe for tinkering: spike shortbread with caraway seeds, or chopped lavender, or lemon and orange zest.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jun/22/summer-baking-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>BakingDessertSnacksSide dishCakeChocolateFood & drinkLife and styleFri, 22 Jun 2012 21:59:20 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jun/22/summer-baking-recipes-fearnley-whittingstallColin Campbell for the Guardian Coffee mocha cake: A great coffee cake with an added chocolate kick. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the Guardian Colin Campbell for the GuardianCheddar, onion and wholemeal scones: Simply irresistible. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianCheddar, onion and wholemeal scones: Simply irresistible. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2012-06-22T21:59:20ZHazelnut, cobnut and filbert recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/sep/09/hazelnut-cobnut-filbert-recipes-whittingstall
It's time to take advantage of one of our great native harvests – and, best of all, it's free, too. But get your skates on before the squirrels take the lot<p>If you go down to the woods today, I can't guarantee a big surprise, but there's a very good chance of a delicious little snack. For it's about this time of year that I rev up my efforts to gather hazelnuts and cobnuts before the squirrels get their mercilessly efficient little paws and jaws on them.</p><p>Hazelnuts can be found all over our&nbsp;ancient woodlands and hedgerows, and down the centuries they've supplied so much more than sustenance. They have long been associated with wisdom, even druidic magic, and everything from witches' wands, royal sceptres and water dowsing rods were made from their precious and pliable wood.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/sep/09/hazelnut-cobnut-filbert-recipes-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>FruitSaladSnacksStarterVegetarian food and drinkChocolateDessertFood & drinkLife and styleFri, 09 Sep 2011 22:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/sep/09/hazelnut-cobnut-filbert-recipes-whittingstallColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's chocolate and hazelnut cake: An immensly pleasureable marriage of ingredients. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's chocolate and hazelnut cake: An immensly pleasureable marriage of ingredients. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2011-09-09T22:00:00ZApricot and cherry recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/08/cherries-apricots-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall
It's been a good year for home-grown cherries and apricots, so we may as well make the most of them<p>A rose is a rose is a rose. Unless it's a cherry or&nbsp;an apricot. <em>Prunus armeniaca</em>, the apricot, and <em>P. avium</em> and <em>P. cerasus</em>, sweet and sour cherries, both belong to the rose family. Apples do, too, by the way, and pears. It has to be said, you have a lot going for you as a plant family if you can produce both the world's most delicious fruits and the world's most beautiful and wonderfully scented flowers. The chocolates, on the other hand, I can live without.</p><p>Back to those cherries and apricots. It's been a good year for home-growing both fruits, which can be a touch temperamental in our changeable climes. The Sunburst cherries on the tree trained against our garden wall are ripe and sweet and juicy – and almost over. The very tart morellos will be ready in a couple of weeks. And the apricots in the greenhouse are shaping up nicely, just turning from green to yellow. In a couple of weeks, they'll be orange, like little suns, and ready to release their sweet, sherbety juice.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/08/cherries-apricots-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>BakingBritish food and drinkCakeChocolateDessertFruitSnacksFood & drinkLife and styleItalian food and drinkMain coursePastaSide dishStarterFri, 08 Jul 2011 21:59:58 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/08/cherries-apricots-recipes-fearnley-whittingstallColin Campbell for the GuardianCherry and chocolate tart: Luxurious and rich. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianCherry and chocolate tart: Luxurious and rich. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2011-07-08T21:59:58ZBrownie recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/04/brownie-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall
There's a brownie suitable for every time of day, whether you're having it as a snack, or for pudding. Just make sure it's a proper one, though<p>A really good brownie is&nbsp;always appropriate. With a glass of cold milk or a cup of strong coffee, they make a&nbsp;darkly delicious punctuation point in even the grimmest afternoon, for sweet-toothed chocophiles of all ages. And&nbsp;served warm with fruit, ice-cream or&nbsp;sorbet, they're an easy, unstuffy way to end dinner.</p><p>But let's face it, there are some horrors out there, besmirching the good and happy name of &quot;brownie&quot;. I'm not really talking about homemade ones – even the failures have their charms. I'm more ticked off with the commercial ones. They're so often a pretty joyless affair – dry, crumbly, cakey, with none of the melting seductiveness of the real thing. For me, brownie nirvana is a&nbsp;crackled, shiny top beneath which lies a rich, dense and chewy middle, verging on the underdone.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/04/brownie-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>BakingAmerican food and drinkCakeChocolateDessertSnacksCheeseFruitFood & drinkLife and styleFri, 03 Jun 2011 23:03:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/04/brownie-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstallColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's blondie with macerated strawberries: The principle's the same as for a normal brownie. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's blondie with macerated strawberries: The principle's the same as for a normal brownie. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2011-06-03T23:03:25ZCall that a job? Food writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Chloe, 14, Oscar, 12, and Freddie, 8http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/28/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-children-recipes
'When I invite the children to take over my column, saying they can do any recipes they like, a glint appears in their eyes'<p>When our children offer to cook us a&nbsp;meal, we are thrilled, naturally, and proud, too. For about 30 seconds. Then something kicks in. You could call it an instinct for self-preservation – but we know they're not actually going to poison us, or burn the house down. In my case, it's ego-preservation. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I have trouble letting go of my self-styled role as creative director of the family kitchen. In my wife's case, she's all too aware that her position as CEO for the Restoration of Cleanliness and Order is unlikely to be challenged.</p><p>So I begin negotiating the menu, trying to influence the outcome, hovering and butting in and creating a state of stress for all the family. Usually there are tears before supper, and now that I have teenagers there may be shouting and swearing, too. &quot;Can't you let me do it my way?&quot; and, &quot;What's the point if you're just going to interfere?&quot; are almost certain to be heard. (Both are pretty familiar from when my wife does the cooking, though she's got it down to a more pithy, &quot;Fuck off&quot; as she hits my hand with a spatula.)</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/28/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-children-recipes">Continue reading...</a>Parents and parentingHugh Fearnley-WhittingstallFamilyBakingFood & drinkAmerican food and drinkBritish food and drinkCakeDessertChocolateFishFruitMain courseSaladSide dishLife and styleSeafoodFri, 27 May 2011 23:05:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/28/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-children-recipesThomas Butler for the GuardianFood writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall with son Freddie and young Louisa: "I’m ashamed to admit it, but I have trouble letting go of my self-styled role as creative director of the family kitchen." Photograph: Thomas Butler for the GuardianThomas Butler for the GuardianFood writer Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall with son Freddie and young Louisa: "I'm ashamed to admit it, but I have trouble letting go of my self-styled role as creative director of the family kitchen." Photograph: Thomas Butler for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2011-05-27T23:05:00ZCoffee recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/14/coffee-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall
Yes, it's a great pick-me-up when you're feeling run-down, but it's a fabulous cooking ingredient, too<p>These days it's rare to walk more than a few metres along a city street without seeing at least a few bleary-eyed souls clinging to artfully logo'd paper cups as though their lives, or at least the transition from bed to office, depended upon it. Coffee – historically that favourite of priests and poets, painters and revolutionaries, mystics, students and, well, anyone who wants to squeeze a little more juice out of the day – has come a long way from being chewed raw to perk up tired goatherds on African highlands. Today, I&nbsp;sweeten it with syrups and tart it up with whipped cream like some kind of fuel-injected sundae – it seems a rather tame and undignified fate for the drink <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Maurice_de_Talleyrand-P%C3%A9rigord" title="">Talleyrand</a> described as, &quot;Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love.&quot;</p><p>The earliest recorded mention of coffee is in the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_ibn_Zakariya_al-Razi" title="">Rhazes</a>, a 10th-century Arab physician, though it may have been cultivated even earlier than that. Legend has it that Kaldi, an Ethiopian goatherd, noticed his charges were particularly lively after chewing on the cherry-red berries. He tried them himself and took them to a local monastery, where the monks found the fruit allowed them to continue their devotional duties through the night. Whether or not that legend is true, by the end of the 15th century coffee was intensively cultivated in Yemen, using plants from Ethiopia. Its name comes from the Arabic <em>qahhwat al-bun</em>, meaning wine of the bean – and its popularity in the Arab world is, perhaps, due to its enlivening properties among those forbidden alcohol by the Qur'an. By the 16th century, it had spread from Turkey to Italy, brought by Venetian traders. Its arrival wasn't universally appreciated, as some fervent Catholics considered it a &quot;bitter invention of Satan&quot;, their animosity salved only when the pope gave it his approval.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/14/coffee-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>BakingBritish food and drinkCakeDessertSnacksChocolateFood & drinkLife and styleFri, 13 May 2011 23:02:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/may/14/coffee-recipes-fearnley-whittingstallColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's coffee ice cream: Serve as is, with biscotti or chocolate sauce, or pour over an espresso to make an extra-strong affogato. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's coffee ice cream: Serve as is, with biscotti or chocolate sauce, or pour over an espresso to make an extra-strong affogato. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2011-05-13T23:02:47ZBiscuit recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/22/biscuit-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall
Forget those over-sized, over-sweet cookies and cupcakes at the coffee shop. What we Brits really want with our cup of tea or coffee is a proper biscuit<p>Idon't want to sound like some harrumphing colonel, but what is happening to the great British biscuit? I&nbsp;didn't fight in two world wars (figuratively speaking) to see the mighty, wheaty digestive, the feisty gingernut and the gregarious garibaldi supplanted by cookies the size of hubcaps and decorated with effing <a href="http://www.smarties.co.uk/home/" title="">Smarties</a>. Are we meant to eat them, or drill a hole in them and hang them up?</p><p>I blame the American coffee chains. They come over here, interfere with our milk and bamboozle us with transatlantic gibberish that makes us feel like scum for simply ordering &quot;a cup of coffee&quot;. (&quot;You want skinny scum on that, Sir, or are you the full-fat scum?&quot;) And when we ask for a&nbsp;cup of tea, they ask, &quot;Medium or large?&quot; then charge us an extra 50p for pouring another half-pint of tepid water over a teabag in a paper cup.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/22/biscuit-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>BakingBritish food and drinkChocolateFruitSnacksFood & drinkLife and styleSat, 22 Jan 2011 00:02:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/22/biscuit-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstallColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's jam thumbprint biscuits: Just the thing to keep little hands busy on a wet day. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's jam thumbprint biscuits: Just the thing to keep little hands busy on a wet day. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2011-01-22T00:02:25ZBeurre blanc, choux pastry and tarte tatin recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Foodhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/25/choux-pastry-beurre-blanc-recipes
It's never too late to learn new tricks, or brush up on old ones<p>At this time of year, with the kids settling in to a new school term, do&nbsp;you, like me, find tea time both exciting and a&nbsp;little bit daunting? You're expected to be part-parent, part-tea lady and part-homework superhero called in&nbsp;to throw light on all manner of baffling maths problems. &quot;Ah, well… I think you'll find that the squaw of&nbsp;the hippopotamus equals the sum&nbsp;of the&nbsp;squaws on the other two sides.&quot; &quot;Thanks, Dad, really helpful. And&nbsp;hilarious.&quot;</p><p>In late September, when the blizzard of summer activities ceases, the nights darken and the garden slowly becomes less demanding, I'm&nbsp;often overcome with a &quot;back to school&quot; feeling myself. I'm much more likely to make resolutions now than in the depths of winter, when the height of my ambition for the evening is often curling up with a&nbsp;seed catalogue and a whisky.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/25/choux-pastry-beurre-blanc-recipes">Continue reading...</a>BakingBritish food and drinkCheeseChocolateDessertFishFrench food and drinkFruitMain courseSnacksFood & drinkLife and styleFri, 24 Sep 2010 23:03:07 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/sep/25/choux-pastry-beurre-blanc-recipesColin Campbell for the GuardianBeurre blanc: This classic sauce goes brilliantly with fish, but ditch the fish stock and add more wine or a poultry stock, and it'll go with everything from vegetables to eggs. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianBeurre blanc: This classic sauce goes brilliantly with fish, but ditch the fish stock and add more wine or a poultry stock, and it'll go with everything from vegetables to eggs. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2010-09-24T23:03:07ZCooking with children recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Foodhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/31/children-cooking-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall
It's amazing what even quite young children can achieve in the kitchen, and the summer holidays are the perfect time to let them find their culinary feet<p>As a kid, the long summer holiday represented seemingly endless possibilities for aimlessly messing about. What bliss. Often, the fractionally more purposeful messing about took place in the kitchen.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Fearnley-Whittingstall" title=""> Mum</a> was remarkably relaxed in giving me access to her armoury of pans, bowls and knives – though usually all I required was the rotary whisk, to knock up yet another soft mountain of <a href="http://www.premierfoods.co.uk/our-brands/grocery/angel-delight/" title="">Angel Delight</a>.</p><p>I did get a little beyond that. In fact, I became quite the junior pastry chef. Under Mum's guidance, I learned to knock out very respectable black forest gateaux, profiteroles, lemon mousse – classic 1970s sweets to follow her avocado mousse with prawns and beef wellington. We were a dinner party double act – except I&nbsp;never saw my creations being consumed, because I was in bed by then.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/31/children-cooking-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>BakingBritish food and drinkChocolateDessertFruitMain courseMiddle Eastern food and drinkSaladSide dishSnacksVegetarian food and drinkFood & drinkLife and styleSummer food and drinkFri, 30 Jul 2010 23:03:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/31/children-cooking-recipes-fearnley-whittingstallColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's falafel: Kids just love getting their hands dirty, so why not put that to good use in the kitchen? Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianColin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's falafel: Kids just love getting their hands dirty, so why not put that to good use in the kitchen? Photograph: Colin Campbell for the GuardianHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2010-07-30T23:03:01ZEgg white recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/10/egg-white-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall
It often plays second fiddle to that golden yolk or, worse, just gets thrown out along with the shell. But egg white is a culinary star in its own right<p><a href="http://www.guprod.gnl/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/03/easter-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall" title=""> Last week's chicken and egg eggstravaganza</a> got&nbsp;me thinking about a question I'm often asked by those who know (and, I hope, understand) my weakness for anything custardy, ice-creamy or, well, saucy or tarty. What do you do with all of those leftover egg whites?</p><p>The poor old albumen is often the understudy to the shining, golden star, the yolk. Shamefully, it's often discarded or, in some cases – and perhaps worse – destined to be transformed into that most insipid of dishes, the egg-white omelette. Well, I want to put a stop to that. Custard's last stand, if you will.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/10/egg-white-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>BakingBritish food and drinkChocolateDessertFrench food and drinkSnacksFood & drinkLife and styleFri, 09 Apr 2010 23:10:04 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/apr/10/egg-white-recipes-fearnley-whittingstallColin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's financiers: Traditionally made in a special tin, but a bog-standard bun tin does the job just as well. Photograph: Colin CampbellColin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's chocolate macaroons: Rich, chewy and surprisingly easy to make. Photograph: Colin CampbellColin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's chocolate macaroons: Rich, chewy and surprisingly easy to make. Photograph: Colin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2010-04-09T23:10:04ZStar anise recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/13/star-anise-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall
Its pungent, warming, liquorishy flavour makes this a real star turn in any cook's repertoire<p>It's pleasingly appropriate to&nbsp;me that today's kitchen star first dropped anchor in&nbsp;Europe in my home county of Devon; in Plymouth, to be precise, in&nbsp;1588, when the navigator, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cavendish" title="">Sir&nbsp;Thomas Cavendish</a>, brought back&nbsp;a haul of pretty, pungent, star-shaped seeds from the Philippines.</p><p>In part two of my spicy special, I'm focusing on this fruit of the <em>Illicium verum </em>tree, and it's certainly one the most beautiful of all spices – yellow flowers give way to eight-pointed stars with glossy, amber, egg-shaped seeds caught in their reddish-brown leathery carpels.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/13/star-anise-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>BakingBritish food and drinkChinese food and drinkChocolateDessertFruitMain courseMeatSandwichesSnacksFood & drinkLife and styleSat, 13 Mar 2010 00:35:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/13/star-anise-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstallColin CampbellStar performer: Chicken poached in a stock full of Asian flavours makes for a succulent, heady main course. And the leftovers make a great sandwich filling. Photograph: Colin CampbellColin CampbellStar performer: Chicken poached in a stock full of Asian flavours makes for a succulent, heady main course. And the leftovers make a great sandwich filling. Photograph: Colin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2010-03-13T00:35:02ZFairtrade recipes for winter | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/feb/20/fairtrade-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall
Fairtrade ingredients really come into their own during the cold, dull British winter<p>It's an enduringly delicious and rewarding, though &shy;occasionally challenging, even arduous, adventure to&nbsp;grow, catch, rear or buy locally most of the food that ends up on our kitchen table. Tucking into meals made from &shy;ingredients we've nurtured ourselves (or things produced by &shy;neighbours, some of whom have &shy;become friends) makes them all the&nbsp;more satisfying.</p><p>But though I live in one of the most bountiful corners of Britain, there are some ingredients that even&nbsp;these green and fertile acres can't provide. Oranges, lemons and &shy;clementines, coffee and tea, &shy;chocolate and bananas are all &shy;verging on being staples, especially during frugal February. And &shy;pineapples and&nbsp;mangoes are &shy;particularly &shy;welcome treats when&nbsp;the prospect of picking my own sun-ripened fruit&nbsp;and veg feels&nbsp;such a very long way&nbsp;off. Right&nbsp;now, we rely on these&nbsp;vibrant exotics to sharpen our palates and brighten our plates.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/feb/20/fairtrade-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>British food and drinkBarbecueBakingChocolateDessertFruitMain courseMeatSaladStarterFood & drinkLife and styleSat, 20 Feb 2010 00:35:01 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/feb/20/fairtrade-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstallColin CampbellJuicy mangoes and creamy ­avocados get a punchy, savoury treatment with tender strips of steak and a spicy dressing. Photograph: Colin CampbellColin CampbellHugh FW: Mango salad Photograph: Colin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2010-02-20T00:35:01ZSoufflé recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/16/souffle-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall
A soufflé isn't just for special meals. And it's not really hard to make, either. So go on, rise to the occasion<p>At this time of year, who couldn't do with&nbsp;a bit of a lift? Mercifully, what these seemingly &shy;endless dark &shy;evenings&nbsp;do provide is the &shy;opportunity to hole up in the kitchen and play… I&nbsp;mean, turn your&nbsp;hand to something new, or at&nbsp;least something you haven't had a&nbsp;crack at for a while.</p><p>So, let's make souffl&eacute;s! The simple combination of eggs, milk or cream, seasonings and air, given the <a href="http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Dictionary/Montgolfier/DI35.htm" title="Montgolfier ">&shy;Montgolfier </a>treatment with a blast of heat, is one of the great culinary milestones. Better, there's &shy;something frivolous about souffl&eacute;s – and frivolity, past its first precious, giddy hours, is something that &shy;January often lacks.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/16/souffle-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>BakingBritish food and drinkCheeseChocolateDessertFrench food and drinkMain courseStarterVegetarian food and drinkMeatFishFruitFood & drinkLife and styleSat, 16 Jan 2010 00:05:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/16/souffle-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstallColin CampbellRise to the occasion: Goat's cheese and chive souffle looks like a lot of work, but it's actually a pretty easy, everyday supper dish. Photograph: Colin CampbellColin Campbell??? Photograph: Colin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2010-01-16T00:05:00ZRecipes for edible Christmas gifts | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstallhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/12/edible-christmas-gifts-recipes-whittingstall
Stuck on what to get your nearest and dearest this year? Don't head for the shops and a last-minute panic buy; get in that kitchen instead<p>Some people are natural-born shoppers. And Christmas is the time when they excel at this extreme sport. They flounce through the shops waggling their credit cards and come home laden with gifts for their nearest and dearest, having somehow managed to avoid comedy ties, socks that play Jingle Bells and gingerbread-scented bath bombs. If that's you, I salute you. But I am not of your tribe. I'm the one at the all-night garage on Christmas Eve wondering whether Dad would prefer a jerry can or a set of jump leads.</p><p>At least I used to be. Now things are different, because I've discovered one sure-fire way to make yourself popular at this time of year – give something delicious you've made yourself. If you feel the need to give a cake slice that plays For He's A&nbsp;Jolly Good Fellow and Happy Birthday (I was actually given one of&nbsp;these once, so I know they exist) as well as a cake, so be it, but it's the cake that will be most appreciated.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/12/edible-christmas-gifts-recipes-whittingstall">Continue reading...</a>Food & drinkLife and styleBakingBritish food and drinkBreakfastChocolateFruitSnacksChristmasSat, 12 Dec 2009 00:31:41 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/12/edible-christmas-gifts-recipes-whittingstallColin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's crystallised orange and lemon peel: A homemade Christmas present with a twist. Photograph: Colin CampbellColin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's crystallised orange and lemon peel: A homemade Christmas present with a twist. Photograph: Colin Campbell<strong>Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall</strong>2009-12-12T00:31:41ZTake the biscuit: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on beetroot brownieshttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/08/chocolate-fruit-brownies-recipe
The natural sugars in the likes of carrot and beetroot are just begging to be mixed with something sweet. And where better for that than in a cake or brownie?<p>As a youngster, I was inherently suspicious of carrot cake. The motives for adding a root vegetable to a tea-time treat seemed suspect to say the least. Why carrots? Had we run out of chocolate? Was there a war on? But when I finally took the plunge and actually tried one, I was won over - it tasted rich without being sickly, moist without being wet. Well-balanced all round. And definitely still a cake (I had feared it would turn out to be nothing so much as a very thick soup).</p><p>In fact, carrots' natural sweetness has been exploited in cakes and puddings since the Middle Ages, when sugar was scarce and expensive. And when there really was a war on, of course, it came into its own. But it's not the only starchy vegetable with a high sugar content: there's the beetroot and the parsnip, the pumpkin and the sweet potato, too. All share the same sweetness as carrots, and have a similar invaluable ability to keep a cake moist. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/08/chocolate-fruit-brownies-recipe">Continue reading...</a>ChocolateFruitVegetarian food and drinkSnacksDessertLife and styleFood & drinkSat, 08 Nov 2008 00:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/08/chocolate-fruit-brownies-recipeColin Campbell/Colin CampbellBeetroot and chocolate brownies. Photograph: Colin CampbellColin Campbell/Colin CampbellBeetroot and chocolate brownies. Photograph: Colin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2008-11-08T00:01:00ZPower keg: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall puts the beer back into cookinghttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/apr/05/recipes.foodanddrink1
Forget wine - beer is our national drink, and it's time we used it more often in our cooking<p>Our island is built on wheat and barley, in the form of bread and beer. And although we think of bread as the staff of life, for centuries beer was no less important. When a glass of water could mean a dose of typhoid, farm labourers and urban workers alike slaked their thirst with ale. For them, beer wasn't just a drink. At the end of a long shift or a back-breaking day in the fields, they saw it as nutritious and vital, as well as thirst-quenching. Beer was the smoothie of the pre-industrial age.</p><p>Given its place in our history, and in our hearts, it's strange that in the kitchen we usually pass over our native drink in favour of wine. We've gone a long way towards shaking off our national culinary inferiority complex, and it's time we took beer with us on our onward mission. We make some of the finest beers in the world - OK, the finest - and as a cooking medium it is less acidic but more distinctly flavoured than wine. Next time you steam some mussels, forget white wine and add a light beer along with the garlic and herbs.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/apr/05/recipes.foodanddrink1">Continue reading...</a>ChocolateFood & drinkLife and styleMain courseFishDessertMeatFri, 04 Apr 2008 23:06:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/apr/05/recipes.foodanddrink1Colin Campbell/GuardianPollack in beer batter. Photograph: Colin CampbellHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2008-04-04T23:06:00ZHugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: Chocs awayhttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/mar/22/foodanddrink.shopping3
Freaked out by the mountain of Easter eggs knocking around the house this weekend? Never fear - turn them into a cake instead<p>Thanks to generous grannies, godparents, aunts, uncles and friends - none of whom has to deal with the consequences of their kindness - the house has been transformed into a glittering, chocolatey, foil-and-coloured-cardboard indoor imitation of a landfill site. Only the gulls are missing. I spoke too soon: here they come now, squawking and flailing at the choco-Cellophane collage - and looking only fleetingly like my children.</p><p>The fact is, there's so much chocolate in the house right now that even if the balloon goes up tomorrow, childhood obesity won't be coming down for a month or two. If, like me, you don't want to have to choose between vomiting little ones and rationing the chocolate mountain so severely that it's still hanging around at Halloween, then you will have to come up with a Brilliant Plan. Here's mine: redesignate a significant portion of the choc-pile as &quot;cooking chocolate&quot; - and get baking.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/mar/22/foodanddrink.shopping3">Continue reading...</a>Food & drinkLife and styleChocolateDessertEasterSat, 22 Mar 2008 00:06:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/mar/22/foodanddrink.shopping3Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall2008-03-22T00:06:25Z